Congratulations on reaching this exciting point in your life. Pregnancy and birth are natural and joyous processes, however it is normal that your body will be under new and different stresses during the course of pregnancy, birth and beyond. Neck pain, mid and low back pain, pelvic pain, leg pain, chest pain, breathing difficulty, and tingling and pins and needles are all commonly experienced during pregnancy and all can be safely can be eased by chiropractic care.
Starting chiropractic care early on in pregnancy (and ideally even before conception) allows the body and the spinal structures to be in better alignment and balance and helps to provide a good environment for the fetus to grow.
Treatment during pregnancy is extremely gentle and involves specific techniques to encourage realignment of your low back and pelvis as well as increase the space that the baby has to move around in, encouraging your baby to resettle in the ideal presentation for birth.
The increase of hormones during pregnancy softens the ligaments of the body and can frequently lead to spinal structure misalignment. After childbirth, the hormonal system will gradually return to its pre-pregnant state over the space of a few weeks. During this period of time, the ligaments are still loose and the spinal structure can easily get misaligned. Lifting a baby in and out of a cot and even breast feeding can cause such misalignments.
Gentle chiropractic techniques are used as well as postural retraining exercises, both aimed at improving the structure and function of the spine, nervous system and muscles. These help to ease the spinal discomforts developed during pregnancy and enable the mother to have more energy and better physical ability to care for her baby.
